Iowa trails · Kate Shelley Trail
Kate Shelley Trail
A 11.2-mile out-and-back in Iowa, with 243 ft of climbing. Managed by County Parish Borough.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 67% of the ascent, between mile 7.5 and mile 11.2. It gives back about 1,218 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Getting there
Kate Shelley Trail access. About 27 min drive (17 mi) from Ames. 42.04924, -93.90266 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:58 a.m., the sun rises at 7:26 a.m. and sets at 6:35 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:03 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 22.5-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 34 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:00 p.m. — 2 h 35 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Skunk River Greenbelt Trail — 17.8 mi
- Neal Smith Trail — 23.2 mi